”A new 60.000 doses of Moderna vaccine arrived yesterday in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), which are donations from the state of the Republic of Croatia, ” Sinisa Skocibusic, director of the Federal Institute of Public Health, confirmed to the media representatives in Mostar yesterday.
In ten days, 40.000 doses will be delivered to the Federation of BiH (FBiH), and it is expected that after all permits, their distribution will begin.
Given that Moderna vaccines will be on our market for the first time, he expressed the additional belief that this news will further motivate citizens to decide to get vaccinated.
He stated that this will be the first time that Moderna vaccines can be found on our market, and he expressed his belief that itwill additionally motivate citizens to decide to get vaccinated.
When it comes to the Pfizer vaccines, transportation from New York to Sarajevo was paid for, and that is also a donation from the United States (U.S.), added Dr. Skocibusic.
“They, unfortunately, have not yet arrived, but it depends entirely on the donor.”
For now, there are enough vaccines in the FBiH, and the only way we can fight the pandemic is vaccination.
Further, he added that so far, 25 percent of the population has been vaccinated with the first dose of the vaccine, and 22 percent of citizens have received both doses.
“We strive for the Western European way of vaccination, which means 80 percent. We have a big job ahead of us, but there is also a great responsibility on each of us,” Dr. Skocibusic pointed out.
So far, over 800.000 doses of vaccines have been distributed, but he mentioned that at the end of this month, the AstraZeneca (200.000) and Sinovac (1.300) vaccines expire in the Institute’s warehouses.
“Obviously it all came down to the fact that we will have to convince people one by one that we are fighting for our health. Encouraging and increasing vaccination is a complex task, it consists of two parts, stimulating and disincentive.
It is certain that no one likes the disincentive part, but many European countries and those in the region have started with such measures, and we in the Crisis Staff are also thinking about that, among other things.
Of course, we will try to communicate these decisions with the public in advance, ” explained Dr. Skocibusic.
”The expert advisory body made a decision in Zetra on the third dose of the vaccine, but for now, it only applies to immunocompromised people, ” told Dr. Skocibusic.
“We want, first of all, to extend the coverage to the elderly, because people over the age of 50 are starting to die in hospitals. So we have to vaccinate more adults, the elderly, and the third dose is not a priority for now. Of all hospitalized in last week, 7.5 percent were fully vaccinated, so 92 percent of patients in hospitals were not vaccinated or were incompletely vaccinated, “added Dr. Skocibusic.
On Thursday, Federal Prime Minister Fadil Novalic visited the Institute for the first time, as the place where the immunization process starts.
“This institution has a great experience when it comes to handling specific materials, sensitive goods, but also all the necessary equipment needed for that.
We are convinced that the vaccine material is professionally located, supervised and that mechanisms are provided in the event of a power outage, drop, and rise in temperature, ” Novalic added, among other things.
E.Dz.
Source: Radio Sarajevo
